Al-Kum (, officially known as al-Kum-al-Muwarraq-Beit Maqdum-Humsa) is a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank, part of the Hebron Governorate and located 13 kilometers west of Hebron. Its municipal borders stretch from the border with Israel in the west to boundaries of the city of Dura in the east.Al Kum, Al Muwarraq, Beit Maqdum, Humsa Village Profile. Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ). 2009. It had a population of 1,464 in the 2017 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Geography From the east is Beit Maqdum, from the west is the Green Line (Israel), from the south is As Simiya, and from the north is Idna.
History
Mamluk period A Mamluk endowment record attests to Bayt Maqdum's inhabited status in 1262 CE.
Ottoman period Early Ottoman tax registers in the 16th century have Bayt Makhdum/Bayt Maqdum located in the Nahiya of Halil of the Liwa of Quds.In 932AH/1525-1526CE, 970AH/1562-1573CE and 1005AH/1596-1597CE It was classified as Mazra'a (=cultivated) land.Toledano, 1984, p. 302, has Bayt Makhdum/Bayt Maqdum at location 34°58′00″E 31°32′10″N
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Palestine found at Kh. el Kôm "traces of ruins and caves on a white hill-top." It further described it as "rather a large ruin."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 358 Khurbet el Murak was described as "caves and two large foundations",Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 360 while at Beit Makdûm they noted "cisterns, caves, foundations, and walls, apparently an old site."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 324
British Mandate era At the time of the 1931 census of Palestine the populations of Kh. el Kum and Kh. Muraq were counted under Dura.Mills, 1932, p. 29
Jordanian era After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the area was under Jordanian rule. The Jordanian census of 1961 found 247 inhabitants in Kaum and 150 in Muwarraq.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 23
Post-1967 After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Al-Kum area (together with the rest of the West Bank) has been under Israeli occupation.
The modern Al-Kum village was formed as a result of a 1995 merger between the villages of al-Kum, al-Muwarraq, Beit Maqdum and Humsa, with al-Kum being the largest and in the middle of the latter three. Al-Kum and Beit Maqdum were founded sometime in the early 19th century during Ottoman rule in Palestine. Most of the residents of the four villages were migrants from nearby Dura or Palestinian refugees who fled there following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The principal families are Rajoub, al-Awawda and al-Sharha. Following the founding of the modern village, a six-member village council was established to administer its affairs and provide some municipal services.
The primary health care facilities for the village are at al-Kum designated by the Ministry of Health as level 1. Close by is Deir Sammit where the primary healthcare facilities are at level 2.West Bank Health care
References
Bibliography
External links Welcome to Kh. Bayt Maqdum Beit Maqdum, Welcome to Palestine Al-Kum, Welcome to Palestine Mowaraq, Welcome to Palestine Survey of Western Palestine, Map 21: IAA, Wikimedia commons Al Kum-Al Muwaraq-Beit Maqdum-Humsa village (fact sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem, ARIJ Al Kum, Al Muwarraq, Beit Maqdum, Humsa village profile, ARIJ Al Kum aerial photo, ARIJ The priorities and needs for development in Al Kum, Al Muwarraq, Humsa and Beit Maqdum villages based on the communities and local authorities’ assessment, ARIJ